CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 24, 2025--
MERGE, a purpose-driven, full-service marketing and technology solutions company is pleased to announce Chris Esposito as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Esposito brings over 17 years of exceptional financial leadership experience and is poised to lead MERGE’s financial strategy as the company continues to innovate at the intersection of health and consumerism.
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Esposito steps into this role during an exciting chapter of growth for MERGE, as the company continues to create storytelling through technology and data-driven insights to advance health and consumer experiences. He will work closely across teams to strategically invest in key growth areas, scale operations, and build on MERGE’s deep understanding of the health and wellness consumer.
"MERGE stands out as an innovator in creating experiences that empower consumers. I’m happy to join this energetic and visionary team and to amplify the incredible momentum they’ve built," Esposito said. "My focus will be on leveraging my experience to foster sustainable, strategic growth while continuing to deliver on MERGE’s promise of promoting health, wellness, and happiness."
Esposito’s professional career offers a remarkable blend of operational expertise and forward-thinking strategy. At Grey Advertising, an agency within WPP, he was instrumental in leading financial operations across 40 international markets as the global CFO. His ability to centralize operations, drive capability expansions, and lead growth initiatives—from acquisitions to regional restructures—stands out as remarkable. His background also includes key leadership roles at Ernst & Young, underscoring Esposito’s strong foundation in financial best practices for the dynamic and evolving advertising industry.
“Chris Esposito is a leader whose vision aligns perfectly with MERGE’s mission to make health and wellness more accessible and impactful,” said Mark Goble, MERGE Chief Operating Officer. “He has a proven track record of driving operational success without losing sight of the human element. His empathy-first leadership style, combined with his adaptability and global expertise, ensures MERGE is primed for scalable growth in this next chapter.”
MERGE is a leader in transforming how consumers make decisions about their personal health and wellness journeys. By connecting the complementary health and consumer verticals, MERGE creates trusted, relatable experiences founded on AI and data-driven solutions that resonate deeply with audiences. Esposito’s addition to the leadership team marks another milestone in MERGE’s commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening partnerships, and advancing purposeful impact following the appointment of Stephanie Trunzo as CEO in January and Paul Buranosky as CMO earlier in March.
About MERGE:
MERGE is a purpose-driven, full-service marketing and technology solutions company designed to promote health, wellness and happiness. MERGE fuses its complementary health and consumer vertical expertise to create a deep, unique understanding of how consumers make decisions about their health and wellness journeys. MERGE’s success is best illustrated in its enduring client partnerships with marquee brands such as Abbott, GE Healthcare, Supernus, American Express, T-Mobile, Coach, and Meta. With a team of 750+ employees across offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and New York City, MERGE’s culture embraces ability, agility, and humility to consistently deliver exceptional client results. Learn more at mergeworld.com
Chris Esposito, Chief Financial Officer, MERGE
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed tests of newly developed reconnaissance and attack drones this week and called for their increased production, state media said Thursday.
Kim has been emphasizing the development of drones, and the tests were the latest display of his country’s growing military capabilities.
Photos released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency showed Kim observing what appeared to be a large reconnaissance drone roughly resembling Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail airborne warning and control aircraft. Other images showed exploding drones crashing into military vehicles used as targets.
The agency said the test demonstrated the reconnaissance drone’s ability to track multiple targets and monitor troop movements on land and at sea, potentially enhancing North Korea’s intelligence-gathering operations and ability to neutralize enemy threats. The report said the new exploding drones are designed for various attack missions and feature unspecified artificial intelligence capabilities.
Kim expressed satisfaction with the drones’ performance and approved plans to expand production, emphasizing that drones and AI should be “top” priorities in efforts to advance his armed forces and adapt them to modern warfare, KCNA said. The agency said the tests took place as Kim visited a drone technology complex and an electronic warfare research group on Tuesday and Wednesday.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry didn’t immediately comment on the North Korean report.
Kim previously inspected other demonstrations of drones that explode on impact in November and August last year.
North Korea also last year accused South Korea of sending its own drones to drop anti-North Korean propaganda leaflets over the North’s capital of Pyongyang, and threatened to respond with force if such flights occur again. South Korea’s military refused to confirm whether or not the North’s claims were true.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated recently as Kim continues to expand his military capabilities, which now includes various nuclear-capable weapons targeting South Korea and intercontinental ballistic missiles potentially capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
Kim is also aligning with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, sending troops and military equipment to support Russia’s efforts. This has raised concerns that he may receive Russian technology transfers in return, further strengthening the threat posed by his nuclear-armed military.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a report Thursday that it believes North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia in January and February and has continued supplying ammunition, short-range missiles, self-propelled howitzers, and multiple rocket launchers. The Joint Chiefs assessed that, of the approximately 11,000 North Korean troops sent to fight in the war against Ukraine, around 4,000 have been killed or injured.
In this photo provided Thursday, March 27, 2025, by the North Korean government, a man in a military uniform films what is called an attack drone crashing into a prepared target at an undisclosed location in North Korea, earlier this week. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided Thursday, March 27, 2025, by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center bottom, walks by what appeared to be a large reconnaissance drone at an undisclosed location in North Korea, earlier this week. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided Thursday, March 27, 2025, by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center left in a black jacket, stands by what appeared to be a large reconnaissance drone at an undisclosed location in North Korea, earlier this week. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
